Matthew 2
Matthew 2 is the second chapter of Matthew, the first book of the New Testament. Outline After Jesus is born, King Herod, Roman king of Judea, hears of three magi visiting Jerusalem, asking where the king of Jews has been born (2). Herod, disturbed at this news, gathers all the Jewish teachers and scholars of the law, asking them where this king is prophesised to be born (4). In answer, the Jews speak of the prophecy of Mikah, claiming that it is in Bethlehem that the ruler and shepherd is prophesised to be born (6). Herod asks the magi to go and find the king, then report back so that he too may "worship" him (7). The magi do eventually find the house of Mary and Joseph, bowing down to their newborn baby, Jesus, and gifting him with gold, frankincense and myrrh (11). Afterwards, they leave, but they do not return to Herod, having been warned in a dream not to. Instead, they head home (12). Afterwards, Joseph is warned in a dream of the desires of Herod to kill the newborn king, instructing him to hide in Egypt for a time (13). Joseph does so, and stays in Egypt until the eventual death of Herod (the time of his death is not mentioned, though it is after the coming verses) (14-15). This also fulfills yet another prophecy, that of Hosea's "Out of Egypt I called my son". Furious, Herod calls for the massacre of all children aged two or younger in Bethlehem and the regions surrounding. Again, another prophecy, this one of Jeremiah, is fulfilled (16-18). Now free of Herod, Joseph is commanded by an angel once again to head into Israel (21). However, fearing the son of the now late Herod, Joseph instead stays away, and is told in a dream to head to Galilee and reside in Nazareth (22-23). For the now fourth time in this chapter alone, prophecy is fulfilled, that regarding the saviour being a Nazarene. Analysis Again, having been written for a primarily Jewish audience, Matthew's emphasis on the fulfilment of prophecy is unsurprising. What is of note is that of the three explicitly referenced prophets, none of them are the same. Thus, the author is clearly trying to establish consistency amongst the prophets as well as just how all messianic signs foretold earlier are being fulfilled by this one man, Jesus. The presence of angels and the communication through dreams are two points of controversy in the modern day. Many struggle to believe in angels due to the ideas of angels that are visually portrayed in the modern day, winged men with incredible power. The communication through dreams also causes skepticism amongst many, as who is to know if God is speaking to someone directly in a dream? I imagine many acts of great good and of great evil have been committed because someone believed that the Lord was speaking directly too them in their dreams. As far as angels are concerned, there are numerous scriptural references to them, and thus little reason to be skeptical. I do not believe they are great winged supermen, however. In fact, having not seen one, I have no idea what they may appear to look like. If not seeing were to be not believing, then it would be difficult for me to believe in God or even historical events, really. It must be taken on faith and trust in the Word that angels do communicate with us, through what may be called "Special Revelation"; that is, when God directly communicates to us. It is this "Special Revelation" that I believe explains the dreams of Joseph and the magi. I am unsure of what "Special Revelation" would appear to be, but I am certain that were I to experience such a marvel, I too would be certain of it. These were no ordinary dreams that the magi and Joseph had; they were, as evidenced by scripture, divine intervention. What Does It All Mean? 1. The Bible sends a coherent and connected message across generations. Despite the different living times of the various prophets, all of them built up a pile of information regarding the future King of Jews. That Jesus had already fulfilled so many prophecies just having been born is a sign towards the coherency of the Christian message. 2. God uses many to fulfill his purposes. The magi were an integral part of God's plan for the Messiah.